


Irresistible Temptations

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 07:45:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16868941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: Is there such a thing as irresistible temptation?  Perhaps, though what that might be differs by individual.  What happens when each man faces a temptation that just might prove irresistible?  And if they give in to that temptation, who pays the price?





	Irresistible Temptations

**Garrison:  
France: Mission accomplished, sabotaging that weapons research lab. Goniff had taken a troublesome face full of whatever had been in that beaker that had shattered, but aside from coughing uncontrollably for a few minutes, with a residual faint wheezing, he seemed to have pretty much recovered. The others had been far enough away to get away with just badly watering eyes. All in all, they were just happy to get the job done and head to the exit rendezvous.

Then, on the way, opportunity upon opportunity presented themselves to Garrison, like a lovely long row of dominoes. 

A munitions dump with far too few guards. A few charges placed in the proper places, and there was a chain reaction that could have been seen for miles. They'd gotten a few scorch marks from that one, primarily Actor and Garrison.

A chance overhearing of a conversation about a visiting German general, one prominent enough that his absence would cause considerable disarray, led to an impromptu snatch. Garrison would have liked to have taken that one home with them, had intended to, but the man made a try for Casino's gun, catching him off-guard, and Chief had made the only decision he could have. Still, the Germans were down one valuable leader, with the only damage being Casino's heavily-bruised shoulder from slamming into that wall.

A troop transport, where somehow, someway, enough grit and dust and other debris made its way into the gas tank to ensure it wouldn't be traveling far. No damages there - no one even saw Goniff and Chief doing the mischief.

A roving patrol they had spotted just moments before they themselves were spotted. They'd taken some injuries in that one, all around, but the patrol was left behind in the cover of that grove of trees, to be discovered if and when someone came across the bodies.

One by one the dominoes had fallen, and now, so close to the exit point, there was one more, just ahead. He was trying to catch his breath, but with his mind working rapidly, trying to figure out the logistics of the prize just waiting in the valley below. {"Yes, we can do this!"}. He could already see the explosions in his mind, calculate the damage they could get done. He turned, started to lay it out for them, when Actor laid his hand on Garrison's wrist.

"No, Craig. Not this time. Look at them, look at us." There was a deep urgency in the man's voice, in the tightness of his grip.

Garrison did look, perhaps taking in the full damage for the first time in their wild flight across the country. He knew full well his own state, bruises, burns, various cuts, a rib or two that might have taken too much pressure to still be intact. Goniff was laying on his back, struggling just to make his lungs expand enough to take in air; his hair was matted with blood over one temple; one arm bound to his side, to protect his just snapped-back-into-place dislocated shoulder. Chief's look of stoicism was starting to, no, had already shifted into one of pain and exhaustion; his eyes met Garrison's and there was a plea there, though it went unspoken. Casino was in no better shape, his torn and bloody uniform witness to his own injuries, though he managed to get the words out. "Sheesh, Warden. We're done. Can't you see, we're done?? We aint got nothin left!" Those dark brown eyes combined anger and desperation. 

Garrison looked at each of them, then at that lovely bridge, just waiting for him, the convoy still on the far off horizon. He measured the distance, looked at his men. Could he really give it up, that last beautiful irresistible domino in the line? Maybe he could do it on his own; it would be more challenging, certainly, but it just might be possible. 

"Actor . . ." he started to tell the con man to take the others ahead to the rendezvous point, that he'd catch up. Implacable dark eyes looked into his. 

"If you try it alone, you will be killed, Craig. More than likely, taking out the bridge will bring the entire convoy down on us, whether we are with you or not. If we DO escape them, if we go back without you, we will be headed back to prison, if not worse. Is it truly that irresistible? Have you, have we not accomplished enough for now?"

Garrison looked out over the valley, battled the almost irresistible temption, then another long look at his men. 

Perhaps that was what made it possible, when he stopped thinking of it as an 'irresistible temptation', made the shift to renaming it an 'ALMOST irresistible temptation'. Perhaps. Or maybe it was that last look at his men, the men who'd given everything they had for him and his plans, everything except their life itself. Was this one last domino really worth asking that of them as well? Just because he could see so clearly in his mind HOW it could be done?

He dropped his head forward for another minute, took a deep breath, turned and got to his feet, reaching down a hand to help get Goniff to his feet, "alright, guys. Enough playtime - let's go home." 

 

**Goniff:  
He'd really been making progress; why, he hadn't snaffled any little trinkets for the past three missions. Of course, he had to admit there hadn't been any little trinkets around TO snaffle, but still . . . 

Now, whoever the bloke was what had this house, he had things everywhere! Crystal and glass, figurines and eggs and snuffboxes, and loads else! Still, he was determined, and the Warden had given him a good lecture before they came in here, that he wasn't to take anything. Wasn't even to touch anything he wasn't supposed to. Still, just the sight of all those tempting little trinkets made his mouth water and his heartbeat quicken.

He swallowed hard, drawing his resolve around him, cutting him off from all those tempting little lovelies. His fingers twitched with longing, and he thrust his hands into his pockets. No, he could do this; he could get the job done and walk out of here without taking one blessed thing. He could!!

The sudden shrill of an alarm sounded just as the guys finished and were making their exit, causing them to make a mad dash for the windows. They were out before they were intercepted, thankfully, but all the way home, Goniff thought guiltily about that little two inch porcelain egg with the gold trimmings and that big ruby inside. He didn't THINK it was him touching it that set off the alarm, but there was no way he could be sure of that.

{"Gonna get myself dead one a these days,"} he shuddered. He'd accepted that a long time ago, the possibility, when he'd realized just how little control he had over these impulses. What made him really sick at heart? The thought that one of these days he might end up getting the rest of them killed too. He started to tuck his wilful hands back into his pockets and froze. {"Blimey! W'en did I do THAT??!"}

Back at the Mansion, he glared at the tiny treasure. Then he shrugged in resignation, and carefully slid that little porcelain egg with the gold trimmings into his special hiding place. Well, it was here; there was no sense just tossing it away. Looked to be something his mum might enjoy having, the egg anyway. He'd already turned the ruby over to Actor for the stash they all shared. Still, NEXT time, he wasn't going to take a blessed thing. Really!

**Chief:  
He was supposed to be keeping out of sight, staying where they'd left him while they went off to complete the mission, get transport out of here. It made sense, he knew that; he'd taken enough damage he'd only slow them down, enough damage he'd have a hell of a time defending himself if anyone spotted him before they got back. But that cellar, it had been so dark and cold, the windows rusted shut, even the little one used for ventilation. The air was musty and didn't seem to have enough oxygen in it. It didn't help that the walls themselves, while he could barely make them out, seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Somehow, he just couldn't stand it any more, not being able to breathe open air, see the sky. Pushing the door open just far enough, wincing at the screech of the hinges, he pulled himself out and up those jagged steps, out into the shadows of the dying brush outside. There he lay on his back, inhaling as deeply as he could, focusing on the night sky, the stars above, and gradually his consciousness faded.

They'd come back to find the door half-open, him gone, which had gotten a goodly amount of controlled panic going in each of them. While they were looking for signs that he'd been discovered, wondering if they themselves were being surrounded as they spoke, Goniff had wrinkled his nose, "'e wouldn't 'ave liked being in 'ere, all closed in. Might 'ave gotten spooked, 'eaded outside." Well, that made some sense, knowing Chief, so they settled down to doing a carefully laid out search.

On the way back, Casino had glanced over at Chief, now stretched out in one of the narrow cots in the med unit of the sub. "Hey, Indian, you mind not scaring the shit outta us next time? Maybe we need to rig a signal or something, let us know you decided to take a little walk to look at the sights." 

Chief didn't even open his eyes, just letting his mouth quirk slightly. "Yeah, Pappy, maybe. Any idea how long before we get outta this tin can??" 

Casino could see how much the thought of being confined was still bothering the younger man. "Soon, babe, soon. Just lay back and try to sleep. I'm right here; yer gonna be fine."

**Casino:  
Yeah, alright, so it was usually Beautiful who was out of position because of chasing after some dame. Not like Casino didn't appreciate the dames; he did, especially if she was blonde and really built, but usually he kept it harnessed when on a job. But this one??! Damn! What a doll! And she hadn't made any secret what she wanted from him.

So, instead of making tracks for where he was supposed to be meeting Chief and Goniff, here he was in an alley, her long legs wrapped around his waist, almost as tightly as her arms were wrapped around his neck. His farewell had been far too hurried to be polite, but she was just as out of breath as he was, too much to complain about the cavalier treatment.

Now he was racing toward the meeting spot, slowing down only a block away. Luckily he'd brought his pace back down to a walk, otherwise he'd have run right into the German soldiers trying to beat the crap out of his two team mates. Well, the picture changed after Casino had waded in, and the three were soon looking down at the assailants, knowing they wouldn't be trying to beat up anyone else anytime soon.

They were six blocks away when he'd hesitantly said, "sorry I was late." 

Goniff and Chief had stopped, looked at each other, then at him, standing between them. Looked at him a long time, then nodded, accepting his apology, and just kept on walking, staring straight ahead.

"Alright, mate, for this time. But try to be on time, next time around, ei?" Goniff said in a very off-hand manner.

Chief added in, dryly, "and, Pappy? Before we meet up with Actor and the Warden, you might want to tuck it back in and zip it up? They just might get wise." Goniff's snicker sounded in the background.

Casino took a look down, and was grateful for the dim light surrounding them, so his red face wasn't quite so visible. He wondered, if he hadn't apologized, would they have said anything? He groaned, thinking about how the Warden would have reacted to THAT!

**Actor:  
It shouldn't have been a really difficult mission. They had an easy entree into the estate, Actor having passed through here before under a well-established alias. He'd even made the acquaintance of the noted collector Leon Ricci and his lovely wife, Sophia. And Sophia was lovely, there was no doubt of that, enough so that Garrison gave his guys a firm warning about allowing her to distract them from the job. Who would have guessed that it would be another sort of tempting distraction that would result in such a disasterous outcome? 

Now, back at the Mansion, Garrison was drained, but still puzzling over what had gone wrong. "Damn it, Actor! I can't believe Meghada dropped the ball like that, let Olbermeir get the drop on her. It's just not like her. And I know for sure it wasn't that she let Goniff distract her. He wasn't even there, was with Chief covering the side entrance. How the hell did he get to her? Was there another entrance we didn't know about??" He'd already gotten the report about why Meghada had even been in the room, had been opening the safe instead of Casino like planned; that he'd heard about in the car as they sped toward the exit point.

He always did this after a mission, analyze what worked, what didn't, and if it didn't, then why. Who screwed up and how, how to avoid it next time. What skills were they missing, should maybe work on. Just like he annotated the maps, the files each trip, to make the next mission work better, go more smoothly.

He didn't get an answer, looked up to see the tall Italian con man looking at him strangely. "Is that what she told you, Craig, that she dropped the ball?"

"Well, not exactly. She didn't say a lot, not til we were on the sub; well, she wasn't able, most of the time, not with the medic digging out those bullets. And when she did talk to me, she wasn't really with it; just said she was sorry; didn't mean to slow us down like that. Said it a couple of times, kept apologizing, but nothing else. 

Well, it had slowed them down, her being wounded, though they'd pulled off what they needed to, burning that codebook and incriminating report to ashes, hiding Olbermeir's body in a closet where hopefully it wouldn't be found for awhile. The party going on downstairs seemed to have masked the sounds of the small pistol Olbermeir had used, and a judicious rearrangement of various rugs and pieces of furniture had hidden the bloodstains from immediate view. She'd been unconscious by then, or close to it; Casino had been the one to carry her down the back stairs, while Actor and Garrison had made their smiling way out the front, apologizing for leaving so soon, doing the expected pretty. Goniff and Chief came from the side at the prescribed signal, and they headed off, Actor doing his best to staunch her wounds in the back of the car. 

Actor was staring off into space, then sat down in the chair, heavily. "It was my fault, Craig. I allowed myself to became distracted. Olbermeir came into the room from the side door, suddenly, caught me off guard so I didn't give her the warning we'd agreed on. He didn't see me right away, but he saw her through the open door into the office, and had his gun out and was firing at her before I could stop him." 

Meghada had been cracking the safe; Casino had bunged up his hand earlier when he'd opened the picture covering the safe and found it had a spring-trap that he didn't see in time. He'd made it to the stairwell, caught Meghada's eye. She'd slipped away from her position on guard, and after a word, had headed to office on the floor above, Casino taking her place. It was obvious Casino wasn't going to be handling the safe, not til that hand healed, and while she wasn't quite as good as he was, perhaps, she'd been well-trained and the safe was likely to prove no challenge. A quick word to Actor, telling him of the change, and she went to work.

Garrison was stunned. This was not at all what he'd expected to hear. He cleared his throat, "I thought I warned you, all of you, about Sophia . . ." only to see a firm shake of Actor's head.

"No, not Sophia. Ricci has a remarkable library, Craig, a truly amazing collection of Elizabethan plays - Shakespeare, Marlow, John Fletcher, Beaumont, Thomas Kidd. I had spotted a copy of Edward Green's 'Pandosto', and couldn't resist turning towards it, taking it from the shelf."

Garrison looked at him in total disbelief, "a book. You let a book distract you from the job??"

Actor stiffened, raised his brows in a haughty manner, looking a bit like his old self, indignant at that treasure being posed as a mere 'book', but cut off his spiel when Garrison just held out his hand, palm facing Actor.

"No, I don't want to hear it. Actor, hear me and hear me good. I don't care if it's a first edition of the stone tablets handed to Moses, hand signed by the author! Do NOT let this happen again! Ever!!"

Actor bit his tongue, nodded, "yes, of course." 

He knew he really didn't have any defense. His had been an intense interest, a sincere temptation, yes, but not a true compulsion, not like Goniff and Chief dealt with, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, not a compulsion like Garrison struggled with on a slightly less intense scale. No, his was more on the order of Casino's intense interest in blonde bombshells, as well as his own such interest in a variety of elegant women. Temptations, yes, but not a compulsion.

He still couldn't believe Meghada hadn't told Garrison what had happened, had covered for him like that. Oh, they liked each other, at least somewhat, but he was well aware he didn't have the same rapport with her that Chief and Casino had. Certainly nothing like the remarkable and very unlikely bond between her and their pickpocket. He wasn't sure how he should take this new development.

There was silence for awhile, and Garrison poured each of them a drink from the bottle he kept in that bottom drawer of his desk.

"Do you think she told the others what happened?" Actor asked.

"Had Goniff taken a swing at you yet?" Garrison asked wryly. "Have Chief and Casino cornered you, taking turns yelling? Then I'd say 'No'. Question is, what are you going to do about it?"

It was a difficult conversation. Well, actually, TWO difficult conversations, the first with the still slightly groggy redhead. She'd listened to his explanation, his apology and had stared at him in disbelief, then swallowed, hard, obviously carefully considering her words, before telling him exactly what she thought. 

"I got shot because of bloody Edward Green??! Damn, Actor! Three bullets maybe for Will Shakespeare, but for Edward Green? He's only worth one, at best, even if it was bloody 'Pandosto'!" 

That startled a laugh out of him, and the conversation became a little easier, drifting into their talking about temptation in general, the guys in particular, and he left, more easy in his mind. Though he did get the impression that if he pulled anything that stupid in the future, got Goniff or any of the others hurt or killed, she'd take a much firmer stand, one Actor might not survive.

He still had a very uncomfortable conversation ahead of him, one in which he anticipated taking some verbal if not physical bruising, though he wasn't ruling out the physical bruising, not entirely. And, for some reason, he had the oddest feeling that that conversation with Meghada had been 'directed' somehow by the young redhead, though he couldn't imagine for what reason.

And he was right, the bruising was fierce, though it WAS limited to the verbal, thanks to Garrison taking a hand, hauling their resident pickpocket back from trying to take a hard swing at Actor. 

He'd heard from each of them, both about his own failings, especially this one, with Meghada getting hurt, and about his own prior complaints about THEIR failings. Finally, they all ran out of breath, and looking at them, one by one, he nodded. 

"Yes, I agree," he said, quite sincerely, and reached down to retrieve the bottle of brandy he'd managed to liberate. They might still be pissed, but at least no one was yelling any more. 

 

Epilogue:

She'd called a family conference, well, at least Ciena and Ian and Patrick. "So, because so much of the time they're caught up in trying to focus on the job, resist temptation, for the sake of the jobs, of each other, I've decided that what they all really need is a good healthy dose of temptation they don't HAVE to try and resist, at least for a brief period of time. The question is, how to make that happen, and what would work best for each of them." The siblings sat around the kitchen table, discussing the matter, and coming up with some interesting ideas.

Meghada was still using a cane to walk. Still, she saw this as a necessary activity, well worth her effort. A few calls, a couple of invitations, a few favors called in, the ready cooperation of some of the Friends and Family, starting with the call to Kevin Richards, getting the full team taken off the roster for a few days, and it all came together.

Somehow, that translated to a long weekend for Garrison and his men, along with Meghada, her brother Ian, and a cousin, Raven McHenry, at a quietly elegant home in London, complete with a fine library, elegant knick-knacks and furnishings, good food and wine (well, good for it being war-time) and decanters of decent whiskey and bourbon. Ian had smiled in anticipation as well; he'd always liked that particular Clan safehouse, named with some amusement 'Odellinn'. Well, it made sense, with O'Dell being the name the O'Donnell Clan tended to use on occasion, and it being a place of refuge for travelers in good frame with the Clan, ie. an inn. Dolores and Renaldo managed it very well, and if there was any place Meghada could make this all happen, it would be there.

They arrived early in the day, were served a hearty breakfast, and were shown to their rooms to settle in and enjoy their morning. Yes, rooms! They each had their own room, which made for a very nice change. 

**For Chief, there was a spacious bedroom with a wide balcony, the French doors at one end overlooking a walled garden that could be reached by a discreet set of stairs half hidden by the vines, and the first thing Chief did after being shown there was to throw open those doors, relishing the sweet morning air. Before long, the garden called to him, and he made his way down the metal stairs to wander the paths, to dabble his fingers in the water of the small pond. He found himself smiling at the solid plop! of a frog, and saw the ripples as the creature dove to avoid him. In the trees above he could hear the twittering of small birds. He inhaled deeply, treasuring this freedom. 

Later, Meghada's brother Ian had promised something very special, if he was willing to take the time - a discussion of a variation of the Moon Path. Ian had explained, "the Moon Path seems to work best for the women; there's been very few of our men who could manage it with any degree of success. But for some of us men, especially those with the Indian or Eastern bloodlines mixed in, there's an alternative, a side-path, if you will, a way to build a 'place' we can escape to, take shelter in, find some peace, when things start to close in. For someone like you, obviously with a strong spirit, I think you could learn to do that too." 

Ian had smiled a long sly smile, "and it still lets you keep on the alert, still able to function quite well, while perhaps avoiding actively listening to Actor and his latest lecture," and his face grew serious once again, "or while on a mission, while maybe at least partially ignoring the fact that there's a wall between you and the sky. Are you interested?" 

Interested? Yes, Chief was interested, so very interested in learning how to do that! He would enjoy his morning out of doors, then after lunch work with Ian. He'd promised to go with Casino for dinner, but he planned to make it an early night. That refuge, that was too tempting, and Ian might be willing to work on that later tonight, too. If not, at least he would be well rested to start in earnest in the morning.

**Casino decided immediately that Meghada had really pegged it right with directing the two of them to this tiny restaurant, holding only four tables. As for the others, well, they'd been uninterested in leaving the house, contenting themselves with the soup and cold buffet that had been planned. Goniff had wanted to stay at the house with Meghada, a sly look on his face as he explained, "says there's lots to see in the 'ouse; figured I'd browse some." Casino and Chief had laughed, figuring part of his 'browsing' would probably be done in Meghada's room, though lord knows there were enough knick-knacks around to occupy their pickpocket's interest as well. Actor was in no mood to be torn away from those damned books, indeed, hadn't been seen since he was shown the library, and Garrison had been totally caught up in whatever project Meghada's cousin was trying to interest him in. 

The blonde waitress had smiled at him as he and Chief came in the door, but flitted away before he could speak. He thought that was a shame, cause she sure was a looker, built nice and sturdy, just like he liked a woman to be. It was another, much older woman, Lea, who led them to their table, told them there was no menu; that the meal was set in advance, though differing for each evening. Tonight? Tonight was Italian, and Casino grinned in eager anticipation.

Still, later he found the robust blonde at his elbow, serving the food, filling, then refilling his glass of hearty red wine, offering him the dinner rolls that accompanied that meal that had made his mouth water at the first aroma of the herbs and spices he remembered from his mom's kitchen - Italian vegetable soup, tortellini in a spinach and tomato sauce, mostaccioli, followed by panna cotta drizzled in caramel. Somehow, her smile was just as rich and tempting as the meal and promised just as much sweetness as the dessert. 

She was friendly but not overly forward, just a little coy, letting him get a glimpse down the front of her blouse a few times, and by the time dessert arrived, he was starting to think it was more than a little lucky that Chief had decided to skip that last course and head back to the house after the meal, saying he and Ian were maybe working on something together. 

So Casino was free to linger, sip another glass of wine, and enjoy the sight of Genevieve filling out that low-cut top. He'd thought to talk to her a little bit, see if maybe she'd like to spend a little quality time together. He was disappointed when another waitress, a tiny dark-haired woman by the name of Rose brought his after-dinner coffee, disappointed enough he'd asked where Genevieve had gone to. 

"She is off duty now. But if you wish to speak with her, perhaps about the meal, you will find her down that hallway. She'll not mind. Just tap on the last door on the left," he was told politely with an agreeable smile. 

Wondering if he was going to piss her off by intruding on her off-time, he finished his coffee, then made his way down the hall. He'd thought to find her perhaps in the kitchen or pantry; he hadn't expected that last room on the left to be a neat and tidy bedroom. Seems she wasn't pissed at all. Seems she was real happy to see him. And the way she looked in that low-cut top, well, it wasn't anything to how she looked OUT of that low-cut top! Yeah, a good double-handful, top and bottom. He figured it was good he'd eaten a hearty meal; looked like he was gonna need his strength to make it through the night with THIS dame! He couldn't wait!!

She'd smiled at him one last time, when he'd left in the wee hours, then stretched luxuriously. Meghada always HAD known what her friend Marisol, her older sister Caeide's mentor, most recently known as Genevieve, liked in a man - a hearty appetite, strong arms, big enough to leave her aching just a little, enough stamina to keep up with her - a man who would be gone by the morning light and not stick around to pester her with a lot of foolishness. Yes, truly a win-win situation, leaving them both content. Well, all three, really, since this had been of Meghada's planning; yes, Marisol was sure Meghada would be well pleased at how well it had gone! And he'd really seemed to like the food too! Shame this little place didn't act as a restaurant ALL the time instead of just when the Clan had need of it!

**For Goniff, it was a time of pure bliss. Meghada in his bed, as well as keeping him company whenever he wanted, meals at regular intervals, with snacks available in that little anteroom whenever he got peckish. In addition, as if he needed more, the house was a shopping delight. He'd roamed from room to room, picking up and admiring whatever caught his fancy, a snuffbox, a clear crystal paperweight, another with an explosion of flower buds inside, an enameled jewelry box, the queen from that jade and ivory chess set. Still, one piece fascinated him, his fingertips thrilling to its smooth contours, his eyes delighting in the glint and sheen of the colors. 

When the time came to leave, he fingered that little blue and green glass bird with the golden claws and the emerald chips for eyes, relishing how well it had fit in his hand, how comfortable it felt in his pocket. Half a dozen times he'd reached in to caress it, thinking he really should put it back where he found it, rise above temptation, prove he could do it, but each time his hand came back out, empty. 

All the way back to the Mansion, he smiled, thinking of the holiday, and of that little glass bird. {"I'll 'ave to find a special place to 'ide it away, someplace I can get to easy w'en I want to look at it."}. This was a special memento, one that wouldn't be shipped back home to mum, but something special, just for him. And he'd kept his word, he'd only taken one piece; well, that's all he needed, after all, just one special piece to delight his soul. At least for now. 

Afterwards, Meghada would ask Dolores, who managed the safe house for the Clan, "and what did he decide on? Could you tell?"

"Yes, spotted it missing right off. The Venetian glass bird, a lovely little piece."

"And the price?" She knew it would not be inexpensive; Dolores didn't DO inexpensive, only quality, and quality cost a great deal.

Dolores just laughed, "after what you and yours did for Renaldo and myself? It has already been paid for, with a sizeable credit still waiting, my friend." This house might be a Clan safe house, but it had been home to Dolores and her man for many years, ever since a chance encounter with a Clan member pulled the two out of an extremely hazardous situation. Although the Clan seemed to think their running the safe house was more than payment enough, Dolores and Renaldo didn't agree, and were happy when the opportunity arose to do something a little special in return.

**At first Actor had wandered, aimlessly, relishing the aroma of the fine leather bindings, the vision of the various hues of the covers. He saw the humidor in the corner, the one Meghada had mentioned was there, told him to make himself free of, and stroked his favorite pipe, tucked away in his pocket. But that was for later, when he'd settled on a book or two to enjoy, seated in that deep leather chair, perhaps accompanied by a glass of brandy from the decanter on the sideboard. 

Row by row, shelf by shelf, he browsed. History, geography, mysticism and religion. Finally he reached the point where the literature collection started. His eyes were drawn immediately to his first and best love, the Elizabethan plays, adjacent to some from the following time span, the Jacobean plays, with their emphasis on revenge themes. 

Actor had lingered over each of them, dipping into old favorites, savoring them along with the brandy and fine tobacco from the humidor in the corner. He decided he really wasn't hungry, didn't bother to go to the dining room where the buffet had been laid out. It was late in the evening before he went up to his room, a look of deep contentment on his face. Someday, he promised himself, someday he would have a library like that.

Later, after the visitors had departed, headed back to their home, Meghada would retrieve the three dozen special books - all plays from the Elizabethan and Jacobean time - books she'd arranged to be borrowed to fill that far shelf that had been emptied just for that purpose, returning them to the private library of a Clan Friend. She knew old Amos would be fretful til their return, though he owed the Clan enough favors that he had consented, if just a trifle reluctantly, to allow his precious treasures to leave his possession for a short period of time, once he'd been assured the person who would be handling them had the same level of appreciation he himself had. 

She smiled to herself, making a mental note to introduce the two men, both with the same passion, when the time was right. After all, Amos had already promised her that collection, when the time came, his daughter having no interest in it; she thought it would make a fine addition to the library she'd been building since she first started buying books.

**And as for Garrison? Raven McHenry had arrived with a whole satchel full of interesting things - maps of unknown places, two-inch high statuettes in various outlandish forms, highly detailed, representing different characters, as well as charts showing the aspects, strengths, weaknesses of each of those characters, what weapons each possessed or could acquire - and introduced the American Lieutenant to a new interest, one he'd pass along to his children one day. Randy, Randall Craig O'Donnell, would become especially proficient.

"My cousin tells me you are quite the strategist, Lieutenant, as well as a fine tactician. I'm involved with something I think you could help me with, give your opinion on. You might find rather intriguing. I like to call it 'Dungeons and Dragons'." He explained the concept, noted with satisfaction that quick gleam of interest, the growing eagerness. {"Yes, Meghada was right. He is exactly the man for this!"}. 

"This is a duplicate set; if you like, you may have it. My brother and I each have a set, along with several of the cousins, enjoy the matching of wits against each other and against the circumstances we come up against, even though we have to communicate by mail most of the time. Perhaps you would like to join us in that?" Somehow, he was certain of the answer he would get. 

Some of that correspondence greatly bewildered the censors, of course, enough Garrison had to start sending and receiving such items through Meghada to avoid alarm up at HQ. 

In fact, Kevin Richards had been most insistent on that, after that semi-hysterical call from the Division asking why no one had told THEM anything about invading some place called Velastria?? A place they couldn't even find on any of their maps! And who was this person, the one with the codename Emerald Wyvern, one seemingly part of a special unit working with someone calling themselves RavenWolf??? And that exchange of weapons - Valtry's Ax for Hawk's Hammer - what did that all mean?? And why in god's name was it all being discussed openly in the mail??? Had no one ever heard of the concept of security, for god's sake???!!!!

Though, after he finished glaring, while waiting for Garrison to get over his choking fit, then glaring some more while Garrison finished his hysterical laughing bout, well, one thing led to another and the next thing you knew, Meghada was having to commission another of those damn fool sets of the game!


End file.
